David Foster Wallace’s mind-blowing creative nonfiction syllabus: “This does not mean an essayist’s goal is to ‘share’ or ‘express herself’ or whatever feel-good term you got taught in high school”

Who wouldn't click on this headline? 

Illustration of David Foster Wallaee from
moreintelligentlife.com/content/arts/infinite-jester#_

I certainly couldn't help myself, and I was rewarded with a real gem. 

David Foster Wallace, is an incredible author, but also, unfortunately, another creative type who struggled with depression and took his own life (in 2008). Now I just wish I would have had the opportunity to be a student of his.

Be sure to click through for more, but I've included a few of my favorite lines below (emphasis added):

"This class operates on the belief that you’ll improve as a writer not just by writing a lot and receiving detailed criticism but also by becoming a more sophisticated and articulate critic of other writers’ work."

"For writers: One reason to double-space your essays and to give them generous margins is to give us space to write marginalia. For readers: Make sure that your margin comments are legible and lucid, and that they’re directed to the author; the manuscript copy is not the place to jot notes to yourself. Example: “It’s not clear how this sentence supports the conclusion you draw in the next paragraph” would be OK to write in the margin, whereas “Sentence sucks — make sure to ridicule author for this in class” would not."

How often do you see the word marginalia in print? Not Often Enough!

DFW's syllabus, originally published on Salon.com